1. Is quam in line 2 adverbial ("how Catullus loves...") or is it a relative adjective ("which one girl...")?

2. What is the intended meaning of glubit? It literally means "to strip the bark off/to peel", but also can mean "to rob". The first definitions make sense I guess, as in she is tormenting/aggravating her suitors, but an alley would be a good place to rob someone too so I'm not sure.

"Glubit" I am afraid it is, as the ninenteenth century books would say, vulgar slang. You will have to use your imagination about what branch is getting its bark peeled ...

Quam, I think, is a relative adjective. Very loosely paraphrased to sort-of-verse

O Caelius, Lesbia -- Lesbia who was mine,
Lesbia, whom Catullus used to love
more than himself and all his dearest friends,
where is she now? She's in the thoroughfares
or down some narrow passage, with the heirs
of noble Remus, polishing their poles.

I translated this as:
My woman says she wants to wed no one more
than me, not if Jupiter himself should ask.
He says: but what a woman says to a desirous lover,
it is fitting to scribble in the wind and rushing water.

I'm confused by Dicit, the first word in the third sentence. Who is this man/woman (hopefully not his pole)? I am thinking it would be Jupiter, but when does Jupiter say such a thing?

Last edited by benissimus on Thu Feb 05, 2004 9:15 am, edited 1 time in total.

That makes perfect sense. I like the first one too, but the order in the second one mulier cupido quod dicit amanti just sounds really nice to me. Of course when I said it's a "nice" poem, I meant I didn't think it was going to get raunchy